China will host an unprecedented inaugural meeting for its premier annual security forum – at a time when Beijing is stepping up its global outreach amid the US tariff war.
Advertisement
The flagship Beijing Xiangshan Forum security conference has been held every autumn since 2006. This is the first time that China has announced a meeting in the lead-up to the event that is a cornerstone of its military diplomacy.
Representatives from 31 countries and international organisations will take part in next week’s “navigator meeting” to discuss “opportunities and challenges facing global security”, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday.
Over 200 defence officials, scholars and media representatives were expected to attend the three-day event starting on Monday, with bilateral and multilateral meetings to be held on the sidelines, the ministry added.
Seen as Beijing’s answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, the Xiangshan Forum is typically attended by defence ministers and other senior officials from countries around the world. Representatives from over 90 countries, regions and international organisations took part in the 2023 and 2024 editions.
Advertisement
The navigator meeting comes a month ahead of this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which will be held from May 30 to June 1.